The Marauders and the Invisibility Cloak
by fructoselollipop
Summary: Upon the Hogwarts Express, four different boys meet. The beginning of an interesting year....This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**The Scarlet Steam Engine**

The Hogwarts Express bore no signs of activity whatsoever as it sat quietly in the deserted magical train station. The gateway onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters would remain sealed for a few more hours yet.

If one who was more accustomed to seeing the train and this platform teeming with life were to stand in the empty station, he or she might have said it was eerie.

The abandoned train would not remain that way for very long, however. Soon there would be so much magical activity going on on this platform that one might wonder how the magical world had managed to stay hidden for so long.

Students, parents, friends, and relatives would be coming and going; cats and rats and owls would be meowing and squeaking and hooting at each other; and excitement would be the popular emotion.

A solitary ray of light shone on the train: the sun was just coming up.

And by the time the sun fell again, this train would be gone, depositing its occupants at the legendary school of witchcraft and wizardry, Hogwarts.

James Potter burst through the barrier onto the Platform Nine and Three Quarters, very flushed and out of breath. He caught sight of the scarlet steam engine ahead of him and he almost forgot to breathe. He was so caught up in his excitement that his mother and father walked right into him as they came through the barrier.

"James, you might want to step out of the way," Mrs. Potter said, smiling at her son's wonderment.

James only half-heard her. He could not remember a time in his life that he was more excited than he was at this very moment. The stories he had heard about this train before him and the mystical place the tracks led to were enough to make a young child anticipate his or her eleventh birthday more than humanly possible.

After all, James had grown up listening to such stories: tales of mischief, mayhem, and magic. And finally, after what seemed like centuries, it was his turn to take part in it.

"Come on, son," Mr. Potter said, prodding James. "Let's get you a nice compartment."

But James had no interest in boarding the train just yet. He wove in and out of his fellow students, who were milling about, chatting unconcernedly, some already changed into their school robes. He spotted a few of his childhood friends climbing onto the train and waved cheerily at them, but his overwhelming curiosity of the events happening on the platform prevented him from joining them.

All around him people were swapping stories of their summers with their friends, showing off new gadgets and things, talking about the school year ahead and the magic they wanted to learn. Even Mr. and Mrs. Potter seemed wrapped up in the goings on of the platform.

It was only when the train whistled loudly and last minute stragglers were boarding did James allow himself to be shepherded onto the train.

"Have fun, dear," his mum said, her eyes oddly overbright.

"Write us once in a while," his father said, beaming up at him.

"Study hard --"

"Don't get in too much trouble, not for first term at least --"

"Richard!"

Grinning wildly, James waved at his father, blew his mum a kiss and disappeared as the train began to move.

Fifteen minutes later he was presented with a problem...

_Well, this is what I get for lollygagging,_ he thought miserable to himself. He was nearing the end of the train and every compartment he had passed was full. There were just two left now.

He pulled his trunk forward a few feet, panting a little and cursed himself once again for fooling around on the platform. _There's gotta be _one_ that's not empty,_ he thought desperately.

"Oy!"

James turned.

A boy about his age was moving slowly towards him, also dragging his trunk behind him. As he drew closer, James saw that he had shaggy black hair and stormy gray eyes. He was wearing a set of black robes that had a family crest -- presumably his own -- embroidered over his heart.

James's eyes lingered on the crest. It seemed oddly frayed around the edges, as though someone had desperately tried to remove it, to no avail. The crest itself stirred something in James's memory, but he could not remember for the life of him where he might have seen it.

The stranger came to a stop when he reached James's trunk, shaking his hair out of his eyes and offering James a smile. "I take it that you've had the same luck I have. That, or you're so desperately dull that you've already been chucked out of a compartment."

James wasn't sure whether to laugh or not.

Taking no notice of James's awkward silence, the boy stepped forward and peered into the left-hand compartment. His lip curled in distaste at once. "Slytherins," he said, his voice full of dislike.

James smiled. As a born Gryffindor, he wasn't fond of Slytherins either.

The boy watched the occupants of the left-hand compartment disgustedly for a moment, then scoffed and turned his attention to the right. His expression lifted at once. "We're in luck, mate!" He said brightly to James. "This one's only got one person."

James let out a sigh of relief. He really didn't fancy the worst case scenario: sitting on his trunk in the walkway until the train arrived at Hogwarts.

The boy threw open the door, flashing a charismatic smile to the occupant of the compartment. "Mind if my mate and I sit with you?" He asked. "There isn't enough room to swing a kneazle everywhere else."

A vulnerable and haggard looking boy stared back at James and the dark-haired boy with what appeared to be a hopeful smile on his face. "I don't mind," he replied, his voice soft.

"Brilliant!" the dark-haired boy exclaimed, heaving his trunk into the compartment and beckoning to James, who followed suit.

Finally settled in, James looked at his two companions. "I'm James Potter, by the way," he introduced. "I'm a measly first year."

The dark-haired boy grinned. "So am I! The name's Sirius Black."

James instantly remembered where he had seen Sirius's family crest. The Blacks were a well known, ancient pure-blood clan, with a reputation as dark as their name.

"Ah, I know what you're thinking," Sirius said, his grin fading and assuming the disgusted look again. "The famous Black family, obsessed with blood; the whole lot of them into really dark magic? I think it's a load of bollocks." He paused, lost in his thoughts. "In any case, I don't consider myself a Black by morals. Just by name." He suddenly grinned again. "I'm hoping to be in Gryffindor."

James smiled widely. "That's my house!" he exclaimed. Then he added, sheepishly, "Or at least I hope so. My whole family was in it. Though I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad..."

Sirius nodded his agreement. "What's _your_ house," he abruptly asked the other boy.

Their third companion had shyly reimmersed himself in "A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration," which he had apparently been reading before James and Sirius came in. However, when spoken to, he slowly dog-earred the page he was on and closed the book. He opened his mouth to reply, but then closed it again. He smiled apologetically. "I'm not sure..."

Sirius cocked an eyebrow. "What's your name?"

"Remus Lupin."

"Hmm, that doesn't really ring a bell." Sirius glanced at James for help, who had none to offer.

"I can't say I've heard of any Lupins..."

Sirius directed his attention back to Remus. "Are you a Muggle-born or something?"

Remus pinked slightly. "Half. Mum's a Muggle." He paused. "I might've heard Dad say something about Gryffindor..."

James and Sirius grinned at this statement, just as the door slid open.

A short, pudgy boy was standing in the doorway, very pink in the cheeks and wheezing. "D'you mind - if I - sit here?" He asked breathlessly. "Everywhere else - is full."

Sirius glanced at James, who shrugged.

"Sure, come on in."

The boy looked delighted and started to tug his trunk inside. When it was safely in the luggage rack, he flopped down next to James, mopping his sweat face.

"Thanks," he said, still slightly winded. "I'm Peter Pettigrew."

"Pettigrew..." Sirius repeated, thinking hard. "Mainly Hufflepuffs in your family, right?"

"Yeah," Peter replied appreciatively. "How d'you know that?"

"Ahh, see, when your family is as blood-obsessed as mine is, they start shoving useless information about other families' lineage down your throat."

James, who had begun to detect a dangerous note of bitterness in Sirius's voice whenever he talked about his family, hastily changed the subject. "Any of you follow Quidditch much?"

The rest of the afternoon was fairly enjoyable. Talk wandered from Quidditch, to expectations of the school, to how much magic they had learned already. James and Sirius dominated the conversation mostly, though Remus piped up every now and then, while Peter simply listened in awe.

Meanwhile, James was liking Sirius more and more. It seemed that both of them were fond of pulling pranks, both were exceptionally gifted in Transfiguration, and they even liked the same Quidditch team.

Their pleasant afternoon was punctured only by the arrival of someone who instantly explained why Sirius disliked his family so much.

The boys were laughing and sharing the candy they had bought from the food cart, and there was talk of playing Exploding Snap with James's deck, when the door opened again.

In entered a tall, thin girl who had dark hair and even darker eyes that James suspected had nothing to do with their color. Accompanying her was a younger girl with blonde hair and a pale complexion. Both were wearing haughty, holier-than-thou expressions.

"Sirius, I've been looking all over for you," the older one said. "I told you Cissy, Lucius, Rodolphus, and I were saving a seat for you down near the front."

The laughter died from Sirius's face at once. "And I told _you_," he replied indignantly, "that I would rather kiss an acromantula."

Her lip curled at this statement. "How _dare_ you? You should be grateful that I would even consider helping guide you after all the heartache you caused your dear mother. And yet you choose to fraternize with this --" her eyes lingered on James, who she undoubtedly recognized as a Potter, and Remus's shabby robes. "-- _filth._"

"That's right," Sirius replied coolly. "So you can save your 'guidance' for someone who gives a damn."

A shocked silence fell over the compartment. The older girl stood there furiously for a moment, then said, "Come, Cissy," and left, slamming the door behind her.

For a few minutes no one said anything...

"Who was that, Sirius," Peter asked timidly.

"My cousin Bellatrix and her sister, Narcissa," Sirius said in a deadly tone. "I'm supposed to be setting an example for Narcissa 'cause she's a first year too." He let out a laugh that was more like a bark than anything.

The uncomfortable silence lingered a bit more.

James cleared his throat noisily. "So about that Exploding Snap game."

Sirius gave a very forced smile, his cousins' visit still occupying his mind. "Deal 'em out, mate."

They played several entertaining rounds of cards and were on the verge of starting a betting pool, when Remus's quiet voice took their minds off the game.

"We're nearly there."

Remus was peering out of the window, his pale face reflecting off it.

No one spoke while they each changed into their school robes and packed away their things, and Sirius had taken to pacing his way around the small compartment when the train finally began to slow.

James looked excitedly at his other companions and was a little surprised to see that they did not share his sentiments: Peter looked as though he wanted to vomit, Remus was (if possible) paler than ever, and even Sirius had lost the confident glint in his eye.

James smiled weakly at them all and the train came to a stop.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Lions, Snakes, Badgers, and Eagles**

It seemed like ages before James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter stepped off the train (another unfortunate downside to sitting in the last compartment). When they finally did, James saw that the crowd of students had separated into two different directions. He was about to ask Sirius if he knew why, when a loud, booming voice answered his question.

"You lot firs' years? Firs' years over here! Righ' now, you all follow me."

The owner of the voice was a huge man who almost tripled James's own height and was another three times as thick. A tennis racket sized hand was holding a lantern that shone on a face that was mostly covered in untamed hair, and cast shadows on shoes that were at least four feet long. He was waving the first years along behind him, in the opposite direction that the older students had gone.

"Excuse me," Sirius asked, catching up the giant (which was a quite a feat, considering that for every step the giant took, Sirius took three). "But, who are you?"The giant chuckled. "The name's Rubeus Hagrid, but you can just call me Hagrid -- everyone else does -- and I'm the gamekeeper at Hogwarts." His voice was gruff, but kind.

"And, er, if you don't mind me asking, but where are we going?" Sirius was now positively jogging to keep up, James and the others straggling on behind.

Hagrid smiled. "Got a bit of a treat fer you lot," he said. "Firs' years traditionally sail across the lake on their firs' day."

The group rounded a bend and several "oohs" and "ahhs" were heard.

Directly in front of them was the lake, which was so still that it looked like black glass, and beyond that stood the Hogwarts castle, its many windows twinkling like stars against the night sky.

Hagrid was smiling broadly. "Beau'iful, innit?"

The students murmured their agreement.

Hagrid chuckled and then assumed a very business-like attitude. "Righ'," he said, clapping his enormous hands together. "Like I said, we'll be sailin', so you lot get in groups o' four and pick a boat." He gestured toward a small armada of boats floating at the bank that James had not noticed.

After everyone had clambered awkwardly into their boats, Hagrid double-checked to make sure that no one had been left behind and then they set off towards the castle, the giant gamekeeper leading the way.

They cut straight across the lake, sailed underneath a rocky overhang, and finally came to a harbor that was right underneath the school.

Hagrid oversaw the disembarking of the boats, counted heads, and led the students up a rocky slope to a set of stone steps at the top of which was two large oak doors.

The first years followed Hagrid up the steps eagerly. When they reached the doors, which were about twenty feet tall, Hagrid knocked three times, the sound echoing across the grounds.

There was a pause -- then the doors creaked open ominously. In the doorway stood a severe witch in her late forties, wearing dark green robes and a pointed witch's hat. She was giving off a very stern that was quite contrary from Hagrid's cheery one.

"Thank you, Hagrid," she said in a crisp voice that suited her very much. "I will take them from here." She beckoned the first years after her, leading them into the entrance hall, straight past the vast room where -- James managed to glimpse -- the rest of the school was waiting, and into what appeared to be an unused classroom.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," the witch said, surveying the students over the top of her square-framed glasses. "My name is Professor McGonagall and I will be your Transfiguration teacher. Now, before the term starts, all new students must be sorted into their houses, which will be something like your family during your stay at this school. You will eat with your house, sleep with your house, and attend classes with your house. And while your achievements will earn your house points, any misbehaving will lose them." She paused here, looking at them as though daring them to break a rule in front of her. Then she continued with, "The four houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin, each with their own admirable qualities. When you are Sorted, you will be judged to see which house suits you best. Now I do believe they are ready for you in the Great Hall, so if you'll follow me..." And with that, she turned on her heel and marched out of the classroom and into the Great Hall, the first years trailing behind her nervously.

The Hall was magnificently huge, with a ceiling enchanted to look like the sky outside, so that it felt as though there were not one at all. There were four long tables where the students sat with their respective houses and at the front of the Hall was the staff table, which faced the students.

Professor McGonagall led the first years between the two center tables and lined them up parallel to the staff table, facing a rickety old stool on which a very old wizard's hat was sitting.

As the first years came to a halt the rest of the school quietened. There was a moment's silence and then the hat began to sing:

_Another year has begun_

_And an interesting one it will be_

_So come along young first years_

_And put your faith in me_

_For when I was young and thoughtless_

_(Indeed very much less smart)_

_Four friends came together and dreamed_

_That they, a school, would start_

_Separately, they sought out those_

_Whom they thought were best_

_Then they put some brains in me_

_And put me to the test_

_Centuries later, it is still up to me_

_To put you where you belong_

_If you'd like to try and guess for yourself_

_Then listen to my song_

_Hufflepuff is your house if_

_You're honest, brave and true_

_Or if you're brave and daring_

_Then Gryffindor's for you_

_Perhaps you belong in Ravenclaw_

_Where they prize the sharpest minds_

_If not, then in Slytherin_

_Where the cunning find their kind_

_So step right up, don't be shy_

_Forget about all your fears_

_Just put me on and I will shout_

_Your house for all to hear_

As the Hat's song drew to a close, the rest of the school behind them broke into applause, while the first years simply stared in awe.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward. "When your name is called, sit down on the stool, put the Hat on your head, and wait to be sorted." She unfurled a roll of parchment. "Avery, Clayton."

A skinny, dark-haired boy stepped out of the line. He sat down gingerly, as though afraid the stool would burn him, and placed the Hat on his head. The Hat seemed to consider him a moment, and then -- "SLYTHERIN!"

The table on the far right applauded as their new House member scampered off to join them.

"Black, Narcissa."

"Cissy" seemed to tip-toe to the stool. The Hat barely took a second before screaming "SLYTHERIN" once again, to her apparent relief. She followed Avery to the Slytherin table, where she took a seat next to her sister.

James spared a glance at Sirius. He seemed to be bristling, preparing himself for the worst.

"Black, Sirius."

Sirius took a deep breath and slowly approached the stool. When he turned to sit down, James saw that he looked faintly green. Then the Hat slipped over his eyes.

James watched Sirius's expression intently. His face contorted restlessly, so he was difficult to read. A few minutes passed, as the school awaited the verdict.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Somewhere to the right, the Gryffindor table exploded with cheers. James felt himself join the applause, clapping hard.

Sirius looked amazed. He took off the hat and walked towards the Gryffindor table in a daze.

"Good one," James muttered in his ear as he passed.

Sirius grinned broadly. "See you there, mate." He scurried over to his new House table, keeping the seat next to him saved.

Meanwhile a "Carter, Mary-Ellen" had been sorted into Hufflepuff, followed by a Ravenclaw by the name of "Davis, Dominic."

After them came a long string of girls. The red-head in front of James ("Evans, Lily") became the first female Gryffindor. Then "Finch, April" went to Hufflepuff. Garvin – Gryffindor; Gaynor -- Ravenclaw; Gregor -- Hufflepuff.

Following the girls came a set of twins ("Hardy, Jason and Patricia") who both went to Ravenclaw, "Jones, Alice" went to Gryffindor, and then more twins (both girls) who were sorted into Slytherin this time, another Slytherin girl ("Little, Catherine"), and then it was --

"Lupin, Remus."

For a minute Remus didn't respond at all. Finally, James nudged him hard in the ribs and he stepped forward hesitantly.

The Hat took almost as long with him as it did with Sirius. Likewise, Remus's facial features contorted compulsively as the Hall waited in silence.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Remus's face paled, but he was smiling so hugely as he took off the hat and trotted off to sit with Sirius that James hardly recognized him.

There were less than half now. A pair of Hufflepuffs -- "McCloud" and "Morton," "Nelson" -- a Ravenclaw... Newt... Oliver...

James was so nervous by the time they reached the Ps that he hardly noticed when Peter Pettigrew, the fourth member of their Hogwarts Express quartet, became a Gryffindor.

"Potter, James."

James rushed forward. Realizing how foolish he must look, he slowed down and adopted a bit of a swagger instead. He sat on the stool and slipped on the Hat, chewing his lower lip nervously.

"Potter," a voice said in his ear, chuckling slightly. "I have no doubts about you. You're definitely in GRYFFINDOR!"

Grinning, James tried hard not to run to his table, swaggering again and feeling rather stupid. In any case, he was glad to reach the chair Sirius had saved him, which he flopped unceremoniously into.

"Nice strut, mate," Sirius muttered.

James pinked slightly, and ignored the sniggers of the other students in the Hall.

The Sorting was winding down now; there were only seven students left now.

"Remmington, Candy" became a Ravenclaw; she was followed by a very greasy looking boy named "Snape, Severus" who was placed in Slytherin. Then came "Stanton, Cady" who turned out to be the year's last Gryffindor. "Stramp, Jack" went to Slytherin, and the remaining two boys rounded out the Sorting by both becoming Hufflepuffs.

When the last of the applause from the Hufflepuff table died away, their Headmaster -- Albus Dumbledore – stood and looked over his students with pride.

"Another year beginning, another boring speech from your befuddled old headmaster." Here, he paused to let the laughter flare up and quieten again. "I must inform all new first years -- and perhaps remind a few older students – that the Forbidden Forest is just its name: forbidden. As is the use of magic in the corridors. Save wand use for your classes. I must also make a point to advise you against straying too close to the newest addition to our grounds, the Whomping Willow. I shall not describe the nature of its epithet, but I trust you all will put your little noggins to the test and discover how it got its namesake yourself." His eyes twinkled. "Now, I think that is everything of importance, because -- unless I'm muchly mistaken -- I think I hear a few stomachs rumbling, mine included. Happy feasting!" And with that, he sat down again, promptly pulling a magically filled dish of potatoes toward him.

The feast was delicious and the atmosphere was warm and inviting. The first years chatted happily about their new classes while older students groaned at the thought of going back to them. James laughed and talked with his friends and new classmates, affirming that Hogwarts had exceeded his expectations.

The evening ended joyously; another first year, Cady Stanton, even managed to embarrass Sirius by slipping a plate of chocolate pudding into his chair when he was standing up to get more treacle tart.

"I'm depressed," Sirius muttered to James after casting a very hasty cleaning charm and threatening to hex anyone who laughed.

James raised an eyebrow. "Er, why?"

"Because someone pulled the first prank of the year before me!" Sirius replied desperately. "This means war!"

The feast wound down and a fourth year boy had just mentioned how tired he was when Dumbledore stood up again.

"One last reminder," he announced sleepily. "I love socks. Off to bed with you!"

Chuckling at their Headmaster's bizarre parting words, James and Sirius -- followed closely by Remus and Peter -- traipsed after their fellow Gryffindors up several flights of stairs and through a few secret passageways (which James was sure to make note of) and finally stopping in front of an enormous portrait of a fat lady.

One of the prefects wrestled his way to the front. "Okay everyone, the new password is 'atticus' and be sure not to forget it!"

The fat lady in the portrait smiled, and the picture swung open, as though on hinges, and behind it was a wide hole in the wall -- enough for no more than two people to scramble through at a time -- about three feet off the ground.

The prefect led the way into the Gryffindor common room, which was full of tables and chairs, straight-backed and armchairs alike, and a fire was roaring in the fireplace on one side. There were two sets of stairs on either side of the room, leading off into different directions.

After a quick look around, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter followed the other boys up the left hand staircase, but left them at the door of their first year dormitory.

Someone had brought their trunks up. James recognized his at the foot of a large four-poster bed that stood to one side of a magnificent window.

"Do you realize," Sirius said, jumping on his own four-poster, which was right next to James's, "that we have this whole dormitory to ourselves? All year, for seven years?" His eyes were glinting with excitement.

James grinned and launched a pillow at his new best friend.

The Sorting Hat had said during its song that it was going to be an interesting year. It didn't know how right it was.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Classes**

James was awoken by a pillow to the face.

Somewhere above him Sirius, who was holding the pillow down, said, "Get up mate! Don't want to be late to your first day of classes, do you?"

James tried to say "get off me" but it surely must have come out as a garble because Sirius just laughed and replied, "What was that? Can't hear you! You seem to have something in your mouth -- OOF!"

Sirius tumbled off the bed, having just been kicked in the stomach.

The boys made their way down to breakfast, making sure to use some of the shortcuts that they had discovered the night before (mainly to prove that they remembered that they knew where they were and where they led). They were just sitting down at the Gryffindor table when Professor McGonagall moved toward them handing out course schedules.

"We've got Charms first," Remus said, his eyes sliding down the page.

"Charms?" Sirius replied around a mouthful of toast. "Sounds easy."

It was easy. The Charms teacher, a tiny little man by the name of Professor Flitwick, had set them to practice the light charm. Within fifteen minutes both James and Sirius had mastered the charm, had helped Remus and Peter master it as well, and were working on the despelling charm. At the end of the double period (after having spent nearly three quarters of an hour in boredom) they were told by a beaming Professor Flitwick that it would not be necessary for the four of them to complete the homework that was given to the rest of the class.

Professor McGonagall was not so lenient. Even though James and Sirius had managed to transfigure their matches into needles, she still gave them the regular amount of homework (although, that might have been because they had started poking each other in sensitive areas with their needles while the other wasn't looking).

After lunch was the most boring class in the history of magic, which -- coincidentally -- _was_ the History of Magic. The class was taught by a ghost, and although that sounds very exciting, he had a voice that Muggle-borns compared to a dull vacuum cleaner, and after about ten minutes of this more than half the class was asleep.

Following History of Magic was Herbology, and though it wasn't exactly thrilling, it _did_ have fanged plant-life that nipped your fingers if you weren't paying close enough attention.

And that was just the first day!

Tuesday added two more classes to their course load, both of which, James found, came surprisingly easy to him. Even Potions was a breeze, which, he had to admit, had never been his forte (he remembered all too well the incident in his childhood when he had "helped" his mother stir up a potion by exploding her cauldron which had been full of a concoction that turned his skin blue, but that's for another story).

After that came Defense Against the Dark Arts which was all about curses and mummies and things of a -- usually -- sinister nature. The class was taught by a young woman straight out of the teaching academy called Professor Summers, whom James and Sirius made fun of at first but took to soon after she put Sirius in a full body bind to get him to shut up.

Then, on Fridays, there was flying lessons which, you can imagine, was great fun for the four friends, except for Peter who was terrified of heights. And of course Astrology which was similar to History of Magic in its tendency to put everyone to sleep. Not that it was boring, but more because it took place at midnight.

But while James and Sirius found ease in their classes, another member of their group appeared to be having enormous difficulty. And it wasn't Peter.

Remus seemed to be getting paler and paler as the days slipped by, as though he was losing sleep over the spells he hadn't learned. James had awoken many a night to hear the poor boy muttering to himself. And although James could never hear discernible words, they sounded like instructions. Stranger still, Remus did perfectly well on all his homework, often attaining full marks, but by the end of their second week at Hogwarts he appeared to be close to a nervous breakdown.

That Saturday morning, while James and Sirius were threatening Remus that they were going to test the rumor that a giant squid lived in the lake by throwing him in it if he didn't cheer up soon, Professor Dumbledore himself approached them wearing an oddly blank expression.

"Good morning boys," he greeted, nodding to them before turning to Remus in particular. "Mr. Lupin, if you'd be so kind, I need a word with you in my office."

Remus swallowed hard and followed Dumbledore out of the Great Hall, looking weaker than ever.

"What was that all about?" James wondered aloud.

"Dunno," Sirius replied, turning back to his bacon. "Maybe Dumbledore's going to talk some sense into him. Tell him he's a right smart bloke and to bloody well get a grip on himself."

"Maybe Dumbledore heard what you said about throwing him in the lake," Peter said, his eyes wide. "Maybe he thought you were being serious."

James laughed but Sirius looked puzzled. "We weren't being serious?"

Remus didn't show up again all day. And to make matters more disconcerting, a fourth year girl showed them a newspaper article at dinner that certainly got their attention.

**"LORD" VOLDEMORT LASHES OUT**

Simple politics erupted unexpectedly to violent

war today in an event that surely will not be

the last of its kind. The wizard calling

himself Voldemort, widely known speaker against

Muggles and the so-called "impurity" of

Muggle-born witches and wizards, broke into

the home of a well known Muggle-born wizard

and brutally murdered him. Sadly a suspicious

neighbor came to investigate and upon finding

his friend dead, Voldemort allegedly turned

his wand on him as well. Ministry of Magic

officials say that in both cases the

Unforgivable Avada Kedavra curse was used,

causing unblockable and instantaneous death.

Witnesses say that Lord Voldemort was

accompanied by a number of cloaked persons who

have been deemed "Death Eaters" by their

master. After extensive questioning, Ministry

officials say that witnesses were unable to

identify any of these individuals due to

large masks and thick black cloaks that were

worn when the crime was committed, presumably

to conceal their identity. The public is

strongly encouraged to be wary of anyone who

sports this "Death Eater" attire. Furthermore,

the Daily Prophet urges its readers to keep a

special close eye on our friends of Muggle

descent. Thank you and be safe.

In consideration of the victims families,

their identities will not be disclosed.

Sirius looked at James. "Maybe that's what happened to Remus," he whispered. "Maybe his mother was..." he lowered his voice even further. "...killed."

James frowned. "No," he said slowly, thinking hard. "Remus has been acting strange all week. If she died today it would have come as a shock, right? Unless there's something ELSE that's wrong with him."

"Come on," Sirius said, still speaking softly for some reason. "Let's go upstairs. Maybe Dumbledore sent him back to the common room or something." But when they reached Gryffindor tower one look told them he wasn't there and after an inspection of their dormitory it was apparent that Remus hadn't been in it since the four of them left together that morning for breakfast.

They spent the rest of the evening by the fire in the common room discussing various theories on what had happened to their fourth companion. However, all around them the talk was about Voldemort.

Near Sirius's shoulder they heard Cady Stanton say in a voice that was not like her own, "My mother's met him. She's in the Department of Muggle Affairs at the ministry. She said that once they had a row in the middle of the office because he wanted her to cancel her speech on why we shouldn't use magic against Muggles. Who's to say this... Voldemort--" a shiver ran through her already quavering voice. "is going to limit himself to killing only Muggle-borns. What about those who want to speak up for Muggles? For all I know my mum could be next on... You-Know-Who's list..."

James and Sirius exchanged dark looks. They sat in silence for a little bit longer, and after a while Sirius got up and began to console Cady. James remained still, staring at the fire for a long time until Sirius shook him out of his stupor. They were the only ones left in the common room. Peter was snoring in his armchair. Remus hadn't come in.

An apprehensive feeling settling over them, the three boys went up to bed.

James didn't have a very restful night. He spent the first few hours merely dozing, every now and then pinching himself awake and glancing across the room at Remus's bed, as though he expected to see its owner there. When he finally got to sleep he had disjointed dreams that were more flashes of scenes than anything, ending with an image of a baby boy who looked just like him when he was a child except that his eyes were green...

There was a despondent air among the remaining friends the next morning at breakfast that ended quite abruptly when Remus plopped down next to Sirius looking haggard (but less pale than when they had last seen him) and acting as though the past twenty four hours had never occurred.

For a moment no one said anything; the three just stared at Remus as though a stranger had just sat down with them. And if Remus himself noticed the silence he ignored it and simply pulled a plate of toast towards him and began to eat feverishly.

The others waited until after he had gotten through the second piece before they all burst out at once.

"Where have you been?

"What was yesterday all about?"

"Are you going to bloody stop pouting now?"

Remus actually choked in surprise on a bite of his third slice of toast as they suddenly exploded with questions and had to receive a few good wallops on the back from Sirius before he could speak again.

"Slow down," he said with a cough. "One at a time."

To which of course the other three merely bombarded him with inquiries again, each wanting their own answered first.

"Right!" Sirius nearly shouted, slapping his hand on the table loudly. "Just tell us where you were all bloody day yesterday."

"Oh... uh," Remus said slowly, a blush creeping into his cheeks. "My - my mother got really sick, and, uh, they wanted me to come home and see her... just in case... just in case..."

James and Peter nodded sympathetically, but Sirius was wearing a quizzical expression.

"How'd you get there and back so quickly?" He asked with an air of suspicion.

"Floo powder," Remus replied simply, shrugging casually.

There was a collective "ahhh" sound from the other three boys and there was a pause while Remus wolfed down three more pieces of toast.

Sirius lifted an eyebrow, suddenly disenchanted with his own breakfast. "Hungry?"

A nod was his only reply.

"Wait," James said suddenly, turning back to Remus. "So why were you acting weird all week then? We all thought you were losing it over classes."

The pink tinge that had started to fade from Remus's cheeks came back in full force. "Oh... well, Dad had been writing to me saying that Mum wasn't feeling well and then that she was getting worse. I guess I was just really worried about her."

Sirius narrowed his eyes at the other boy. "I don't remember you getting any post this past week."

Remus blushed more furiously than ever but was spared from having to answer by the sound of whooshing feathers, a soft flump, and then coughing and sputtering noises from James.

They turned back to look at James and found his face dripping in porridge and a parcel sitting in his cereal bowl.

"YEAH, THANKS JARETH!" He yelled angrily at his retreating owl. He grabbed the robe of an onlooker who had laughed at him and used it to clean his face off before turning to the package.

James looked it over and found a small note in his father's print folded neatly under the bow of the string. He tore it off and read:

James,

I would prefer if you kept the content of this package

a secret limited to yourself (and maybe a few friends).

Your mother and I would feel more comfortable if we

knew that this was at your disposal during these dark

times. I pray that you never need this for its

intended purpose, though I suspect you will find

other uses for it. Stay safe and try not to get into

too much trouble.

Love Dad

Ps: A little mischief isn't that bad, but don't tell

your mother I said that.

James looked at Sirius, who had - naturally - been reading over his shoulder, his eyes wide with excitement. "If this is what I think it is..." He murmured, feeling the package thoroughly.

"What? What do you think it is?" Sirius asked, starting to get antsy over James's awed reaction.

"What did he mean by 'dark times,'" Remus inquired on James's other side.

"You know," Sirius began distractedly, taking the parcel from James and giving it a feel. "The nutter that killed all those people yesterday."

A pause, then, "What are you talking about?"

Both James and Sirius stopped in their preoccupation with James's present and stared at Remus in surprise.

"You mean you didn't hear? You didn't pick up a newspaper or turn on a radio once yesterday?"

Remus reddened. "Well, I was a little busy with other things..."

But the other two had already launched into a hurried explanation of what they had read the day before in the newspaper and everything else they heard about the incident.

"So, do you know what's in the package?" Remus said at the end of it, his eyes wide after receiving the news.

"Well," James replied slowly, his eyes running over the plain brown paper packaging. "I have a hunch. But if it is what I think it is I can understand why he would want me to keep it a bit of a secret." He licked his lips before saying, "Come on, lets go upstairs and open it."

The four of them abandoned their breakfasts (Remus not without taking another piece of toast from the stack) and tried not to rush _too_ quickly to their dormitory.

When they arrived and were all inside with the door shut and locked, James ripped the paper apart feverishly, and out fell something silvery that seemed to pool on the ground.

"Yessssssssss," James breathed, taking it off the floor and holding it up for his friends to see.

An Invisibility Cloak.


End file.
